#the only truth is nothing is an excuse to treat other people like they're nothing

[moonstrider9904]

I have literally been thinking about this for months now.

I don't work in retail and I'm pretty sure we don't live in the same part of the world but I'm pretty sure this is general. I myself see it while driving - in the past months, it feels like people on the road are so much worse. So aggressive, so careless, so caught up in wanting to go fast and wanting to go first that decency (and even common sense) just goes out the window. It makes me anxious for the commute. In the case of retail, as a customer who's shopping either for groceries or whatnot, I also feel how much people are so needlessly nasty, from lacking basic manners to deliberately being mean or aggressive whenever something they don't like comes up, and they're like this towards fellow shoppers and the retail workers. If any of you work in retail, honestly, my respect. I know I could never do it. People's attitude has overall taken a lot of the enjoyment out of going out and about on any day of the week.

And I agree, times are tough, so many things are awful in the world right now, but it's absolutely not an excuse for anyone to treat others like they're nothing.

And I want to make it very clear, it is very valid for you to feel anxious about how people are behaving with others overall.

But when you think about it... these people who are acting this way to total strangers on the street? To workers in a store, people on the driveway... I think on some level it must be even sadder to be like them. Like, imagine being so bitter, so angry all the time to the point where you're nasty to anyone in whatever setting without giving it a second thought. Imagine doing this as if you were on autopilot, imagine being so numbed and desensitized that any person you mistreat on the streets is just all in another day's work. Imagine the only way of feeling you have some sort of power or control over your life is to deliberately be a bad person. Imagine not wanting to change your ways even when you know you're being an ass.

That's what all these people are like, or at least it's the conclusion I've come to. This subject is one of the main things I've battled this year. Living out on my own since January, moving by myself, it feels like not a day goes by that I don't have to deal with one a-hole or another. In my case, I used to bite back at people (picking my fights wisely, of course). And every time I did, I felt worse.

So what was I to do? Tell them to fuck themselves because it was what they deserved? That didn't feel great afterwards. Not doing anything? It felt like it wasn't an option - how the heck was I supposed to just let these idiots do whatever they want with me? It was a feeling of dread that I had to deal with for months, that I at times still feel. I can't remember a year where I've felt more exhausted.

Up until recently, it really just came down to letting them simmer in their own hellish little pot of tar. It's a whole you lie in the bed you make thing. It's the life they're leading - while it's not okay for you to have been dragged into that, it is still their life. Their making. Their decisions. That's gonna follow them wherever they go. And while you might have to deal with their crap for a while, these people will eventually leave your life. I am in no way attempting to minimize the situation, I am simply saying that they are not your problem - understanding this is what really got me to turn how I felt about moving myself around.

It's not unlike a thought that comes when you're meditating. Acknowledge it is there, and then let it go. It's not important. No need for lingering or judgment, just return to focus on you and what you're trying to accomplish.

As for the lingering bitterness after encounters with shitty people, what's helped me the most is to just protect my peace. Acknowledge that maybe dealing with this stuff could be a part of life, prepping yourself mentally, amping up the self-care, talking about it. Validating what you feel. You're certainly not alone in feeling this way.

Sending you hugs!

has anyone else who works in retail/hospitality noticed that customers recently have been worse than usual? it's always rough this time of year of course, but i have personally noticed an uptick in people being rude, aggressive and inappropriate to the point it's making me so anxious to go into work. i know that times are tough but i don't think it's fair to treat me like i'm nothing

[fairfoxie]

Otherkin Rumours Debunked

Hi! It's Pine Fairfoxie with a Big Long Post! I've been wanting to make something like this for a long time. When I see negative comments, rumours, and propaganda about otherkin, I already know they're untrue. But not often do I examine exactly why. Today I'll be doing just that, and hopefully contributing to the common knowledge of our community. So without further ado, let's have a look at the 11 most common rumours and misconceptions about Otherkin.

(Note: I use Otherkin as an umbrella term that includes Therians.)

1. "You're doing it for attention!"

This is usually the opposite of the truth. Otherkin generally like to stick to our tight knit communities of peers who understand us. We usually don't tell anyone IRL, or we risk being disrespected and ridiculed. As for me, almost no one in my life knows, not my family or even my best friends. My romantic partner knows, simply because I want to be fully myself around him. Even then, I usually indulge in my most obvious otherkin urges when I'm by myself only. I don't want any attention for this and I don't want people to view me differently. I want my human disguise to work, yknow? That being said, some otherkin do like attention and are flashy about it. What in the world is wrong with that?

2. "Otherkin is a mental illness/dangerous for mentally ill people!"

Look, it's not that there's not a deep end you can go off because there definitely is, but most of us are perfectly reasonable about our identities. Otherkin in itself is not a mental illness, though it does intersect with many mental illnesses. However, most people who tell their personal therapist about their otherkin identity are told that it isn't dangerous, and many are even willing to work with you on solutions to ease the less fun parts of being otherkin and will encourage you to identify as otherkin if it improves your life in some way. Though otherkin CAN be a backdrop to delusions or even clinical lycanthropy, these are special cases and not the norm, and are treated accordingly. Either way, this is no excuse to bully or ostracize us, and doing so is blatantly ableist.

3. "You're faking/it's all made up"

Faking what? A feeling? An experience? A personal identity? There's no faking any of these things, which at its core is what otherkin is. Any way you choose to contextualize your life is all made up, because language and society are made up. Humans are a type of animal capable of complex philosophical thought and self actualization. There's nothing fake about that. If someone is pretending to be someone who's not themself, the best thing to do is wait it out. It is exhausting to be anything other than your true self and anyone who tries will not sustain it for long. If otherkin is a phase for some people, let them have their fun and move on.

4. "It's just roleplay"

Many otherkin like to roleplay. But they are not the same thing. At the end of the day, a roleplayer goes back to being their normal self. For otherkin, this IS our normal selves.

5. "It's the same as furries"

Some furries are otherkin, some otherkin are furries. Some people keep the two distinct, some don't. Furry is simply an art form. Otherkin is an identity.

6. "There are no otherkin of bugs and fish and unpopular animals, only pretty looking things like wolves and foxes and dragons."

False! There are in fact many bugkin, many kintypes of "undesireable" animals, and rare animals too! I know of someone who's isopodkin. As for why there are mostly mammals and "cool/pretty" kintypes out there, well, humans are mammals. Of course it would be more likely that you'd discover your fox self than your hagfish self. Some people don't even know their kintype exists, and may go their whole lives unaware of their connection to a very niche animal, and may even write it off as a fascination. The anatomy of mammals is easier for us to understand, so of course a foxkin would be more likely to stumble upon their true nature than a hagfishkin who's never even heard of hagfish. And then, a foxkin is more likely to enjoy being a fox than a hagfishkin is to enjoy being a hagfish, and therefore is more likely to devote time and energy to indulging it online.

7. "Otherkin steal art and images!"

This is true, unfortunately, our community is rampant with unsourced and uncredited images. Many of us in the community are working to reduce the amount of stolen and unethical content in our tags by spreading awareness of the issue and promoting properly credited or original content. This is not a facet by which you should judge the community as a whole, and many of us do make beautiful original art and take our own photos.

8. "Otherkin are all children"

Nah, we've been around online since mailing lists were a thing. The oldest known otherkin mailing list was Elfkind Digest and the oldest online forum was alt.horror.net/werewolves (I hope I got that right?) Thing is, the oldest of otherkin like to hang out on forums and generally keep to their tight knit communities. Tumblr has almost all ages on it, but the more frequent posters tend to be younger. Tiktok also has all ages but is mostly children. I've watched the Tumblr otherkin community grow up together and I think we've become more nuanced than before. I think this will happen too with the kids on whatever new social media this community finds its way to. I think kids and younger people are more inclined to post more frequent and flashy content that everyone sees. A Tiktok moodboard is going to naturally get more publicity than a long and carefully worded essay by an older community member. If you're not seeing adults you might just be at the kids' table.

9. "It's a white people thing"

Entirely False! I know/have known many otherkin of colour and otherkin from all around the world. Otherkin is non-denominational and multicultural and if you erase that you're erasing a significant foundation of the community. No community is completely devoid of racism, unfortunately. But we are still a diverse group. I can acknowledge that otherkin is prevalent in countries with internet access because, well, we find each other on the internet. It also stands to reason that in a society founded on white supremacy, a white person is more likely to feel safe/comfortable expressing themselves in public spaces. I honestly think that this is a throwaway line made to ridicule/discredit us for being "weird," but if you seriously do think that only white people can be otherkin, then perhaps you're the one who needs to go outside.

10. "Otherkin are zoophiles/practice bestiality"

False. The exceeding majority of otherkin are outspoken against all forms of animal abuse. When an abusive situation in the community comes to light, the most common practice is to cut ties, denounce the behaviour, and spread awareness of the issue to keep each other safe. Some people may incorporate otherkin into their kink scene. What they do behind closed doors with consenting (human/human shaped) adults continues to be none of our business.

11. "Otherkin is a cult"

Otherkin might just be one of the most misunderstood communities on the internet today. But at its core it is about self discovery, personal connections, and community. And I will always be proud to be one of us.

Otherkin is not a cult because there is no leader trying to take your money and bodily autonomy. If someone is doing this to you directly under the guise of the otherkin identity, which, yes, has happened before, you need to get safely away from that person/group. Cults can and will use anything to try to recruit you. This is why keeping your identity private online is so so important! If someone claims to possess secret knowledge, wants you to join their pack with extremely strict/authoritarian rankings, is asking you for money, or insists on knowing your location/identity, these are big red flags and those people should be blocked and avoided.

🌿🌿🌿

Thanks to all who gave me ideas to help this post happen! And I hope that anyone who sees this walks away with a better understanding of our community :3

[thedroloisms]

just an essay bc it's been on my mind but the way that victimhood becomes a weapon on social media is so fucking stupid and counterintuitive to actual advocacy. people wielding "im a victim" as a defense not only in situations actually involving their specific case but also in basically every damn situation in the world is so ???? even in cases involving dream, for example, i will see people using his history as a means of defending him (it's really fucked up that you would accuse a victim of ___, he's an abuse victim i'm sure he won't defend ___ and that he'll ___) and while i understand where that sentiment comes from, the base assumption it's making is...nakedly untrue. and assuming its truthfulness can hurt victims moreso than it helps them.

being a victim isn't moralizing. being a victim doesn't make you a good person. suffering isn't absolution, and going through fucked up shit doesn't make someone "good." people equate abuser = bad person and victim = good person, and then assume that victims are incapable of abusive behavior or "problematic" internalized ideas. an abuser can't be neurodivergent, or mentally ill, or part of a marginalized group, and most importantly an abuser can't be a victim. the boxes of victim and abuser are strictly defined with no overlap. once you've been through something truly, verifiably, Fucked Up (tm), congrats! you get a certificate of eternal victimhood that prevents you from ever being a Real Bad Person ever for the rest of your life.

only that's not how real life works! it's just not! generational trauma leads to cycles of abuse that perpetuate themselves over whole generations of people! the kids that think that it's perfectly fine and a-okay for a parent to physically punish their children don't tend to be the ones with parents that don't lay a finger on them! and you know, it sucks. it sucks that you get nothing out of being hurt, that there's no fucking prize, that there are no suffering vouchers for you to cash in because of the abuse you suffered that can give you good-person-points. it sucks to endure all that shit for nothing. but the opposite idea of suffering making you a good person is the exact reason why some people preach about the miles they walked to school in the driving rain to excuse taking out their shitty temper on their small children.

being abused generally doesn't make one "better." if anything, trauma tends to fuck you up in ways that hurt you...and others. going through shit tends to make people worse. working to get better is something that requires actual conscious effort, not something that you are given as a side effect of going through hell. over and over again, traumatized individuals who are made to feel powerless and given little freedom and ability to change their circumstances, when in a situation where they are given power to some degree over some person, may choose to abuse that power while they're in their own abusive situation or after. part of being a victim of abuse often means having a distorted view of the abuse you've been through! it can mean normalizing fucked up behavior! looking at shit and treating it lightly because you've been taught that it's "not that bad," if you've been taught that it's bad at all! victims aren't granted perfect ideologies from god because they walked through flames--cult survivors usually have to unlearn all sorts of messed up beliefs that were drilled into them--beliefs that many people on twitter would then damn them for, because obviously if you've thought something like that in the past then you're a bigoted hateful individual.

i can only speak from my own experience, but i can't fucking count the number of people i've heard of or met or known personally who have been through some kind of trauma in the past, who are undoubtably victims of abuse, who then go on to act in toxic, manipulative, and abusive ways to others. oftentimes, these people are aware of the fact that they were in abusive situations in the past and make quite a big deal about the fact that they care about victims, as a victim, and want to advocate for them. they're the same people who react extremely negatively to anyone alluding to the idea that they could be abusive--they're not like that, they've been abused, how could anyone accuse them of abusing another person, don't they know how much that hurts with their history. and so on and so forth.

and...i have a lot of sympathy for these individuals, generally speaking. because as mentioned above, being abused in the past doesn't necessarily make it harder for you to be a perpetrator in the future. sometimes--oftentimes, even--it's the opposite. and i feel for them, because going through trauma and being hurt makes you scramble for ways to not be hurt again, and oftentimes the easiest answer for that (and the ways of solving problems as modeled to them in the past!) is control, and controlling another party can very easily slip into manipulative, abusive behavior. especially if you still have internalized ideas mixed in with the fear that surviving abuse entails, internalized ideas that are often left unexamined by people who believe that their victimhood absolves them from any further responsibility. i feel for people who are deathly afraid of ever being seen as terrible people, oftentimes because of the shit that they went through, who seek explanations for their abusers' behavior that make it so much easier to simplify the matter into "they're something separate from me, something that i can never become." i sympathize with the anger and fear and frustration and grief that might never had had a healthy outlet while in a past situation that ends up poured out into places where it shouldn't be in the present, i sympathize with the desire to find reason in being hurt where it doesn't exist, to want there to be something to make the whole damn thing worth it instead of having nothing to take with you but your pain.

but at the end of the day, that's not how life works. that's not how abuse works. yeah, there are abusers who are cruel for cruelty's sake, who are aware of the harm they do and desire to cause more--and there are just as many who genuinely believe that they're doing the right thing, that they're doing good, that they care for the one that they're hurting unselfishly and wholeheartedly. there are many, many people who hurt others because they have been hurt before, and this isn't an excuse--of course not--but refusing to acknowledge the ways that pain can perpetuate itself and blinding oneself to the possibility of their own actions ever being abusive can literally be how this pain continues. it's good to be self aware, it's good to want to do the right thing, but assuming that victims are good people because of the suffering they went through not only means that so-called "bad victims" (or anyone that's not yet Acceptably untangled the thought patterns and actions that have been normalized to them, or anyone who lashes out in quote-unquote appropriate ways as judged by whatever social media council is handing out social justice tickets for the week) get overlooked and ignored, but abusive patterns of behavior are allowed to continue to exist, just in a repackaged form with different language. it's not fair to victims to nail them to this standard of so-called righteousness that is also inextricably connected to their experiences, allowed to be revoked if they're too "abuser" to be "victim" anymore, or to overlook the victims of their behavior because their inherent suffering-borne righteousness keeps them from crossing the line into bad behavior.

at the end of the day, no one deserves abuse, victims deserve to be advocated for, and people who have been through horrific shit didn't deserve to go through horrific shit. but you don't get handed get-out-of-jail-free cards for being treated badly, you know?

[reconstructwriter]

Neighbors

The apartment was a good price for its level here in Coruscant. Rent to own. You don't see anything wrong with the foundation or the piping or the paint to indicate expensive trouble. Most of the neighbors seem fine. It’s right next to the Jedi Temple and its weird wizard monks. But the price…

You move in and nothing happens. You've heard all manner of rumors about the Jedi but the only encounter you have is a normal, neighborly delivery of home-made treats. Everything is amazing, do the Jedi put crack in all their food or something?

Half a year later there's a plumbing issue. It behaves itself only when somebody else comes by. You’re at wits ends. They’re your neighbors, that means they should help you out right? So you go to one of the temple guards.

Umm excuse me, my house, my apartment there's something wrong with the plumbing but no one seems to figure out what it is or believe me. Can you check on it? The Temple Guard might as well be made of stone. But minutes later another Jedi comes.

She does indeed check the problem and fix it. It would have cost you who knows how much. You insist on feeding her. Afterwards you take meals to the Temple for a week. They really did save you a lot of money and it's neighborly.

When Qui-Gon Jinn's death appears on the news, you give your condolences. And your gratitude they stopped that awful Naboo invasion. The Trade Federation is awful. But the new chancellor sounds like he will do right thing and kick them out of the Senate.

He never does.

When the war comes, you give the Jedi some good luck victory herbs you grew in your kitchen and thank them for their service. And find out they were drafted into that service. The one you meet would much rather negotiate for peace. You’re sorry.

The Jedi grow weary. You bring them what you can and help what you can. So does everyone in your building. The Jedi are constantly injured, tired, and the war only grows worse. Others say they're warmongers. You and yours post the truth on the holo net.

The truth doesn't seem to matter to anyone else, even when the Jedi defend Coruscant itself and everyone near the Temple takes shelter during the invasion. You help deliver things to their Infirmary, to the Jedi and the clones there. They are too kind for war.

One night you wake to screams. To blaster fire. You grab your pepper spray in one hand and a hammer in the other and peek out your apartment door. The temple is on fire. Awful sounds within. You should help them. That is neighborly. You are afraid.

You finally work up the courage to get to the door. There is no familiar guard. You knock very quietly. No one answers. You swallow and nudge the door open. “Hello,” you whisper “Are you alright?” You can only hear more screams and shots.

Finally a Jedi appears. They look awful. They beg you to help the little ones in their arms. “I’ll be right back,” they assure as you take the little ones. They lied. They never come back. You learn about the treason later, but that's not possible. And even if it is…

They didn���t deserve THIS.

The new emperor moves in. The wiser of your neighbors move out. You hide the little ones and feed them. When the clones come looking for Jedi you lie. The laws pass and the neighborly aid you give becomes illegal. They’re so young. You hope they’ll be okay.

Some people didn't want to be around the Jedi temple. No one really wanted to be around Palpatine’s palace. Not even his cronies. You are caught because you can't get anything for your place and you can't afford to move.

There is something wrong with the emperor's palace. It's haunted they say. He does unnatural things there. You can feel the cold coming from that place. You don't dare welcome them with food. They don’t bring you any. Some nights you still hear screams

one night you swear you see the ghost of a temple guard, several burned holes in them, blood dribbling down their robes. The ghost looks at you at points away. You can't afford to move but you go anyway. Afterward you learned the building and inhabitants were…confiscated.

[jazzmckay]

been replaying da2 as a mage again, i'm still in act 1, and it really sunk in this time that cullen can learn that hawke is a mage as early as mid-act 1, during the quest "enemies among us", when wilmod is revealed to be an abomination and cullen & hawke fight together. at this point, hawke is just a random unknown (or hawke can have bethany / anders / merrill in the party, and cullen can witness them fighting too) yet cullen doesn't comment on it, or presumably tell meredith about it, because at this stage of the game, meredith has literally no reason to spare hawke. they have no status, and have done nothing especially major for kirkwall / the templars, other than this exact quest, i suppose, but it certainly does bethany no good if a non-mage hawke doesn't take her to the deep roads.

obviously there's the fact that hawke is a video game protagonist and therefore the game can only really work if they get more leeway than anyone else unless the writers are willing to add in a whole additional quest just for mages specifically, or to tailor every subsequent quest around the fact that hawke is an apostate. a lot of cullen and meredith's lack of action re: mage!hawke can be chalked up to that, but it's more satisfying, narratively, to consider that cullen does not perceive hawke or their companions as dangerous apostates that need to be apprehended.

i find cullen so fascinating in da2, even at the start before things are really falling apart enough for him to take a stand, because even when he has no idea who hawke is, even when hawke shows up and uses magic at his side like 10 seconds after they meet, cullen is receptive to what hawke has to say about mages. in my first playthrough, i played blue hawke, this time i'm playing purple hawke, and even while i sarcastically introduced myself with something along the lines of "oh, templars are torturing their own now, too?" cullen doesn't actually get defensive in the face of hawke's blatant instigation. he's focused on his duty and explains what he's doing with no real heat. (and i love that while he acts aggressive with wilmod originally, after the fact, he says he only needed to scare wilmod into telling the truth and that wilmod "needed to believe it was genuine", which of course isn't really an excuse for treating someone aggressively, but it says so much about cullen and his preferred methods. bad cop, so to speak, not actually intending harm until they have no choice.)

then when you return to the gallows later to wrap up the quest, this is when cullen's infamous "mages can't be treated like people" line appears, but in the context of cullen literally just finding out hawke is an apostate and doing nothing about it, it rings so hollow, like he's speaking out of fear (because of what he experienced in kinloch hold, which he does bring up during this quest) or regurgitating chantry / templar order propaganda whether he truly believes it deep down or not. he's been told that mages are dangerous since he was a child, and he's been hurt by abominations, it's so easy for him to just fall back on that rhetoric. even when faced with evidence to the contrary, people who have been manipulated / indoctrinated are, at first, quick to refuse the scary new implications and grasp onto the safety of what they've been taught to believe.

and hawke can flat out say "you're wrong". they can remind cullen that they're a mage. cullen is absolutely still confident in what he's been taught, but he also doesn't get angry, he's actually receptive to what hawke says. it realistically wouldn't be possible for him to immediately understand that the chantry is entirely wrong and just shed all the ideas he's had hammered into him from childhood, but you can see already that he's open to eventually changing his mind. personally, i like that it's a slow progression. it's more realistic and satisfying. i really like that hawke can get through to him as the acts go on, and your dialogue with him is rewarded in the end. i like that he can know hawke is an apostate but not turn on them. cullen has a lot to mentally sort through and i really enjoy watching him grow, not just in this game, but following into dai.

[autumn-foxfire]

Oh another episode where Ran 'suspects' Conan but nothing actually ever comes out of it because Shinichi successfully gaslights her once again when she tries to find out the truth!

Wait, she doesn't even suspect Shinichi is Conan,she is ONCE AGAIN doubting Shinichi's loyalty to her because these two are "in so much love with one another!", my god she has such a rotten view of him and it's NOT EVEN FOR THE RIGHT REASON.

I'm constantly, and for good reason, saying that Shinichi treats her like shit, but Ran really is no better. Do these two REALLY want to be together because it always feels like they're searching for excuses for why they other isn't faithful.

Oh, so now she's concluded that Conan and Shinichi are the same people.

Shinichi, do you know how this could have been avoided? By. Telling. Her.

Ran is constantly telling him how she feels about being lied to when she does catch on too and he just doesn't care, he's too worried about being caught then ACTUALLY considering her feelings. It's so romantic, guys!

SHE'S FUCKING CRYING BECAUSE SHINICHI DOESN'T TRUST HER AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIND THIS ROMANTIC. HE DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT HER FEELINGS.

She's apologising to Shinichi in her head for snooping even though HE IS LYING TO HER ABOUT HIS IDENTITY AND SHE HAS TOLD HIM SO MANY PERSONAL THINGS SHE NEVER INTENDED TO TELL HIM.

Ran, getting fuzzy feelings: What if his passcode is my birthday?

Shinichi: Hah, you think I care about you like that?

Did phones not have a lockout feature back in 2005. Wild. I wouldn't know, I was only a kid and back then kids weren't given phones for their birthdays XD

Oh my god, I can't believe I'm seeing them be friends. What a rare occassion as most of the time they're like two strangers who insist they are in love with one another despite not liking each other. It's a shame it's a flashback on a situation where she's caught on to his lies and is trying to expose him.

Ran actually chased after him for a change. How rare, she doesn't like to do that. Actually, I'll correct that statement: Gosho doesn't want her to chase after him.

For a second I thought Shinichi was going to mug the police officer to steal his bike to chase the car himself. It would have been so fucking funny.

And he has successfuly gaslit her once again and I want to cry for Ran.

It's so disgusting. The romantic music playing as he lies to her over and over again is making me sick.

Fuck canon.

[silversiren1101]

Hope I'm not too late...△Mino, how do you feel about your ganzi traits? If you could get rid of them, would you? Alternatively, is there anything other ganzi have that you want?

Her eyes go wide, before they narrow into something keenly aware overtop a tight-lipped smirk.

"A bold question, and I'd be curious to know who put you up to asking it, even."

Her tail flicks the air, a rustle of feathers almost punctuating her next words.

"It's complicated. As a child, I hated them and what I was. How could I not? When my scales were peeled from my flesh so much each was surrounded by a bed of scarring and my feathers had been deemed so unsightly my spine was burned with hot wax to keep them from growing." The bitterness in her voice is scathing, but it's not at you. There's an anger there welling from a need for justice, you can tell. In a way that had never been fulfilled.

"Then... as a young adult and during the War, I did everything I could to ignore them, as if they were some unimportant part of me", she continues. "They started growing again then, the scar tissue healed from the restoration I received after my impromptu Trial with that osyluth... Back then it filled me with so much anxiety and fear that it would only cause more pain. Now, I see it for what it was. Me healing. Me... becoming myself, really."

A finger strokes the length of a feather where her tail has propped itself up upon itself, as if an eager assistant. She also traces a few scales as she's at it, speaking to them more than she does to you.

"These days... it's acceptance... and love... but it's also complicated."

Those violet irises flash your way. So much truth shines in them: it truly is complicated.

"I love them dearly. They are me, after all. I have jewels embedded in my flesh like noblewomen could only dream of and plumage like their prized peacocks. My tail has a mind of its own sometimes, yes--", it rattles and wiggles, almost as if stressing her point, "--and it's difficult to have your emotions on public display in the way it can, but it's also me. It's like a sliver of my soul everyone can see, for both good or ill..."

She pats the tail which retreats down to the floor again.

"It's just difficult, coming to terms with the fact that who I am and what I am are excuses to hurt me or wish me harm, to treat me like shit stuck to a boot or assume I am nothing but trouble. The Hellknights helped with that, at least", she chuckles. "People tend to take you far more seriously when wearing the armor, and the assumptions about being a chaotic miscreant kind of fall short when you've passed the Trial and have rank."

A cheeky grin reveals the hint of a fang--another one of her ganzi traits.

"As for you actual questions... would I get rid of them? A long time ago, I wanted nothing more than to be perfectly human. My answer then would have been pathetic begging. Now, though, no. They are me. I love them and thus I love me. I wished other people loved them as much, or that they even loved me as much back--they're a real pain in the ass to take care of--but no, I wouldn't trade them for the world."

The scales on her cheeks practically shine as they crinkled into the wide smile she gives. All four of her serpentine fangs glint in the light.

"As for other traits I don't have! Well, wings and natural talent for fighting are out of the question; I'm protean blooded, not valkyrie or einherjar. But! Some ganzi are... let's just say, bizarrely flexible. You ever see a cat fit through a hole half its body size? Now that would be a useful trait to have! Just thinking of all the times I've been grabbed and had a hell of a time breaking free... that giant lich wouldn't have crushed me during the war, I bet you that."

[Intrusiveness 6/10]

[tehawesomelyjuanthegreater]

My apologize for cancel comms idea cause reasons unaccepted

I Had to cancel the comms idea to a few folks that I was going to do. This past Friday I was going to do the commission for next month until I got removed and left behind and betrayed, at in discord-when I didn't do anything wrong...  I was going to do this process for next month what seemed going to do officially, but I was literally removed as to friend and betrayed-unknown why it did that.... with things was like that, it happens before with a folk on amino folk on discord who simply removed me the same vibe before when I said yes I will do cash app - what it seems to me that it officially not accept-able and very unpolite move to do their own customer when doing commission (that part with amino folk, a friend she left me behind on August 2024) - this happens to another russian folk who help me out how to do commission paid and did that, she left me behind eariler this year---- as it seem that stated  

Unpolite movement and attempted actions... 

In the pastime I have literally gotten tired a little bit of a folk from Amazon that left me behind when this past October 2024, where a folk left me behind, gave a message very upsetting that she had been replaced, and she left the VA group that I was in..... 

There has been multiple minds out of frustration and I was strictly disappointed when I things. At firstly I did not appreciate 1 folk when I was gonna to do the commission-she said the "huh" quotes, and it got me annoyed about that, confirmed cancel the idea who refused to follow me on social, and another person who was waiting impatience for the commission - didn't bother to join up my discord server group, confirmed removed that idea other one was canceled........  

To be honest, I have a tough spot during October 2024 with real life matter that I care more than online nonsense, while online scene has become more declincing more that ever........ even with the social media is dying big time from what I witness, now come to the art status with commission instead art trade and request, same vibe... 

There have been truthful and actual real people who understood that they are doing paid commissions, the real them, also doing paid art to them when, indeed for the sake of my help, that I'm doing following that I'm currently straightening up things .... There are folks who are in need, there folks like me that are in need, no joke about it and no an official excuse.....   Although I have been doing my mission completely, it is to help the art community put a stop on AI and I to been doing it for real, not false as it seems NO.

With things are considered what yet to be made, set as stone officially-it is what it is, they don't deserve anything better to a whole... let not forget that I'm only me and as a human. But it seems today standard humans has been excuses completely due to decline on popularity and doesn't seem to care, even I have feeling... as so I have been growning out tiredly the same repeats on that... it seems me as a customer who helping the art community to do paid commission is trying to so hard to help out the art community and save it, help the artist and my help for my following, it doesn't seem that folks that I have to cancel don't understand how I feel and treat not poorly bad, but poorly spoken....  

I had to apologize for canceling the ideas commission... but I'm keeping other ideas that I'm going to pay them for next time.

Online has been going downhill every day... Could blame my past on how things have decreased from the past 15–18 years, that exactly the response what spread the virus goes... 

I have plans for what I need to do in my following. I know there are people who need help if they're planning to do a following or doing a career officially........ 

The more hurt I am, more seriously disappointed and frustrated and annoyed. I am used to this and fighting tiring, it is tiring-some... 

Im understanding this officially that Im nothing special, but the more it get to think like from others, you wont be finding no one elses better on present day since online has been decline... ah well..

Well till then..

Happy Thanksgiving and happy holiday!

[judassamara]

Even though they had been adamant he not do anything, they also knew there was nothing they could do to stop Matthew from treating Chris differently once he knew the truth. Especially when he saw the expression on Matthew's face.

"He said something about them being bad people. I know he's had made interactions with Izak, but it felt like a lot more than that. I don't know." At this point, it really didn't matter why Chris didn't like the clan. Judas had joined and they weren't changing their decision.

----- "He's been poisoned by his sire," Matthew scoffed at that notion Chris apparently had in his mind. Daphne was a part of the Sisters of the Night and the Sisters were Isabelle's clan. It was only natural that they held such views towards the Rosus. "Of course he doesn't know the history between Izak and his sire sister…"

----- "I don't think Daphne would be that vindictive." They also didn't think she'd pass that on to Chris. It seemed like his own doing. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Don't make a big deal about it, okay? I'm just trying to forget about it at this point."

----- "You don't?" Matthew asked because he certainly thought that she would. The Sisters had it in their heads that the Rosus were uncouth. It was the reason Isabelle broke off from Izak, one of the reasons at least.

"Fine…" the fallen deity huffed. He would promise Judas not to say anything, but it did not mean that he could not apply other methods to make Chris' life hell. "So, what? Are you both on a break now?"

----- "I don't. She never said anything of the like to me, whether she feels that way or not." Judas still cared about Daphne, even in her absence, and he didn't want to blame Chris's feelings on her influence. They visibly relaxed when Matthew seemed to drop it, even a little bit. A break made it sound so casual, but they supposed that was how things often went between him and Izak.

"I haven't talked to him since it happened. I don't know if I want to." Really, Judas wanted to protect themselves and their feelings. It still all felt too raw, even if it had happened a while ago. "I don't plan on getting back together, not without a lot of things changing."

----- The realisation that he was having a relationship talk with Judas suddenly struck Matthew and a small part of his mind could not help thinking about how strange this had become. Matthew never did relationships, not since his fall, at least and here he was trying to do so with Izak while discussing someone else's. It was odd, but he shrugged himself of that thought.

"That's good. Stand up for yourself!" he said with perhaps a bit too much gusto. "Leave him on read. That's the term the humans using these days…" Not that Matthew knew exactly what it meant.

----- The sudden enthusiasm was rather cute and Judas couldn't help smiling. "Here I thought you didn't pay attention to human phrases," he teased. "He did try to text me, but I told him off. I haven't heard from him since." Nor did he want to. They didn't want to hear half-assed excuses or have the blond tried to reason his way out of it.

"Anyways, I wanted to go meet the treant, if you want to join me."

----- "I can't help it sometimes. They're a very noisy species…" Matthew huffed, but he was glad to have pulled a genuine smile out of Judas. It was also clear that the vampire did not want to speak with Chris anymore, nor did they want to talk about him and Matthew nodded.

"I'll join you. I couldn't leave you alone for too long when you're in such a state," Matthew answered with a light teasing smile.

----- Although they knew they shouldn't be enjoying their conversation so much, it was nice to talk to him again, and even nicer to see his cute side again.

"Of course, I need a gentleman to escort me," they teased in return. A lot of things had happened in the last year, but they were happy they got the chance to enjoy Earth Day with the fallen angel again. "I promise I won't keep you long."

----- Matthew nudged Judas lightly with his elbow and chuckled at their teasing words. It had been a long time since they allowed themselves to speak like this and it was nice. Very nice.

"Alright. Let's go and meet this treant. I haven't come across one in a very long time…" Although it was mostly because Matthew rarely ventured far into nature ever since his fall.

They made their way through the space to where Grayalder was currently wandering. There was a small group of guests looking up at the creature when Judas and Matthew joined them and an elf asked them if they wished to ask the treant anything. Matthew gestured towards Judas. "Let Grayalder speak to Judas."

----- It was good to have Matthew with them, a reminder of last year when they had enjoyed themselves together and things had been easy. Plus, Judas acted more like a child around all these magnificent and magical creatures, in awe of them. Matthew kept him focused and guided them along the pathway. They were practically speechless as they watched the imposing creature, so calm and wise. They didn't have a question, at least not one he had in mind. "Thank you, Grayalder, for speaking with us," he began, wanting to be respectful. "I think, perhaps, I could use a little guidance right now, if you'd be willing to share some wisdom."

----- The large magical creature took their time to look down at the vampire, their eyes focusing on Judas as silence passed between them for a long while before Grayalder opened their mouth to speak.

"Time spent amongst trees is never wasted time.”

Matthew was looking up at the treant too from where he stood one step behind Judas, although that surely did not matter to the treant. The creature cast a brief look at the fallen deity before turning away once more to resume its wandering.

----- They weren't sure what they expected but, for some reason, the words were comforting. After a few more moments of watching the great being, they turned their attention to Matthew. "I guess I have a new motto," they commented with a lighthearted chuckle. "Maybe we should wander the woods a little ourselves."

----- It was funny how the treant managed to make Matthew feel so young even when he was certain that he had lived for a longer time than Grayalder. Such was the wisdom of these creatures, Matthew supposed and he finally tore his eyes away to look at Judas.

"I think so. It sounded like they were telling us to get lost in there…" Matthew smiled as they decided to take Grayalder's advice and venture into the woods for awhile.

----- Something about the treant seemed to make Matthew relax as well. Judas was smiling when their gazes met. "It did sound like that. It'd be silly of us to waste this opportunity."

----- They wound their way into the woods again, but mostly stayed along the outskirts of the trees. It was nice to just walk without an aim as there was something very calming about being in nature. But their time was eventually cut short when Matthew decided that he needed to make his leave.

"I have to go…"

----- As much as they were enjoying it, they knew it had to end eventually. When Matthew announced it was time for him to leave, Judas offered him a smile, even though they knew they wouldn't be spending any time like this again for at least another few months, if they ever did again.

"Don't do anything crazy," they teased before letting him go, moving on to enjoy a little more of Earth Day on their own.

"Alright. I promise," Matthew said somewhat reluctantly because he knew that it would be the only way to get Judas to divulge. And when he did, the fallen deity's expression turned thunderous. Of all the people to call Judas such demeaning words, it would be Chris who had done it?

"Why would he think that you joining the Rosu clan warrants such a reaction? Does he not know the history of that clan?" he could not help but ask.

[balillee]

tommy's character gets far too much shit.

hi tumblr. i'm gonna need a few bitches to spread this post everywhere, essentially because i want someone, or just tommy really, to see it. so if you really want, you can screenshot it and post it on twitter, reddit, link it everywhere - go absolutely buck wild. i know he reads the VODS comments a lot, but they're chock full of people just insulting him, his character, his writing and everything about his story in the dream smp simply because they don't understand it and because they refuse to acknowledge his character's perspective (mainly because they only care about the pig). reading that many critical comments on something you've created can only make you feel worse about it eventually, and in light of all the awful techno apologist takes on his character, i wanted to basically just word vomit about how wonderfully crafted c!tommy is, as well as compile some other tumblr posts about his character.

there is a massive fuckin community of people who enjoy the character of tommy, because the character is incredible. i myself have made post after post after post commenting on and analysing tommy's character because i find that there's so much to pick apart. but that enthusiasm for his character only seems to be found on tumblr. reddit and twitter seem to hate his character, the VODS seem to be filled with comments from people who only care about techno's perspective (and treat techno as a reliable narrator, which, is the furthest thing from the truth - that guy lies through his teeth all the time), and the smp wiki is a hellscape of godawful takes and mistruths, not even on just tommy's character.

c!tommy is brilliantly acted and brilliantly written, and almost everything he does is either justifiable or has been rectified or admitted as a mistake. you can clearly make connections as to where he got his conclusions from. you feel what his character experiences, as a member of the audience, vividly.

if you look in the more objective sense, c!tommy, and this is especially in the context of him being the youngest character, is a scapegoat. people claim he's awful and destructive when in reality he's a lot less destructive than most characters on the server. a moment that comes to mind is where he diverts schlatt and quackity's attention from pogtopia by breaking part of the flag in manberg, and then replacing it so as to buy tubbo some time - he literally monologues after it about how he doesn't want to destroy but instead rebuild, and how he feels as if nobody else seems to understand that.

his arc in season two was incredible. it was very character driven, and it gave a spotlight to his motivations. at the start we see him in new l'manberg, and he's enjoying his time there, he's skeptical of his friend's presidency, but his main goal is to get back the discs so that he can stop dream and eliminate that threat. he made one screw up that didn't even matter to george, and he paid for it tenfold, even after dream had spent a while with puffy griefing the server and framing it on tommy - what tommy and ranboo did was convinient. then, in exile, we see c!tommy straight up get abused. he's gaslit and conditioned into being c!dream's friend, and in his brain he teaches himself that those acts of abuse are moments of bonding, and it eventually brings him to the point of wanting to end his own life - he's been torn away from his friends and his support system, and nobody will visit him consistently anymore because they only showed him pity, and all he had left was dream, who had hurt him.

but he doesn't die there, because while he didn't understand the full gravity of it back then like he does now, he recognises that dying isn't an escape, and he can beat dream, even if he doesn't know how. so this is where he goes to techno's place, and here's where the fandom starts to misinterpret the situation wildly.

it's the problem similar to when your parents tell you that they're owed something back because you put a roof over their head, despite that being Not How It Works. techno took tommy in and severely mistreated him emotionally. sure, and i understand this, c!techno is a bad communicator who isn't really that empathetic to anyone who isn't phil or wilbur, but that doesn't excuse the blatant lying to c!tommy's face, the guilt tripping, the friendship buying and the degrading. the day before the festival, tommy finally does something violent in his interrogation of fundy, and only then does techno tell him,,,,

that tommy's not equal to him, that techno doesn't respect him all that much, and that they're not friends.

from techno's perspective, and at the time, this was viewed as a positive development in their relationship. oh, he's starting to warm up to tommy! this friendship could really blossom!

no. from a more objective standpoint, what techno has just said to tommy is : 'i respect you only a little bit more now, because while you're starting to act more like me, you're still annoying and a burden.'

and i haven't even touched on the whole 'erasing the words 'Destroy L'manberg' from techno's to-do list' thing, because that instantly refutes the point of 'techno was upfront with his intentions the whole time' - because he wasn't! he may have said it the first time, but you also know what else he did? he repeatedly told tommy that they'd 'air the details out later' whenever the discs were brought up, and from a tommy viewer's perspective at the time, it was framed as if techno was no longer going to do that.

and i also haven't dared touch the 'i would have fought them all for you', because that's major guilt tripping if ever i've seen it.

so, the day of the festival comes, and here's where c!techno and his apologists completely misread c!tommy's thought process, and why he makes the decision he does.

tommy instantly regrets valuing the discs over tubbo, and it's framed as the culmination of tommy having become all the people he said he would never want to be like. and what does he immediately do? he tells tubbo to give up the disc, and he sides with tubbo. he puts his value in his friends, and, by proxy, l'manberg. and when he betrays techno, he tells him 'i'm sorry'.

from a more objective standpoint, tommy's time with techno is him valuing the discs over almost anything else. so, in leaving techno to be with tubbo again, he is valuing people above the discs. so when, on doomsday, techno says his 'discs aren't people' line, what he doesn't realise is that he himself fueled tommy's valuing of discs above people when attempting to fuel tommy's vengeance against tubbo and l'manberg. techno doesn't realise that he was an unhealthy presence for tommy, and an even worse influence.

what techno also doesn't seem to understand is that tommy never hated tubbo or l'manberg - tommy recognises, now at least, that his exile wasn't a product of tubbo, but a product of dream's manipulation, likely in part because at the time, especially with dream lying about tommy blowing up the community house, tommy was the only one who could see it because he had experienced it firsthand. so when techno sides with dream, it's like kicking tommy in the teeth.

and i want to mention that betraying someone doesn't necessarily make the person who was betrayed good, or in the right, or even justified, because tommy was entirely justified to leave techno. you know who else was betrayed? schlatt. but i don't see many schlatt apologists around angry at quackity for joining the rebellion.

tommy stole the axe of peace? good. it was a moment of tommy defining his self-worth, instead of having it defined by others. gone is the age of c!techno belittling him and deciding how much c!tommy should be respected. NEXT!

here's a moment i wanted to talk about that will forever be funny to me.

'i am a person.'

techno's very famous line from doomsday. techno says to tommy that discs aren't people, and that tommy should value people, despite not understanding that by leaving techno, he did just that. and what does tommy say in return, which has been omitted from every c!tommy-critical analysis, and every animatic?

'yes you are, but so are we.'

an acknowledgement of techno's hurt, to which tommy has already apologised for. a statement that says 'your hurt does not excuse, nor justify, the hurt you have inflicted onto us.' an acknowledgement that tommy has already learnt the lesson techno seems to be trying to 'teach' him. but you can't teach him anything by destroying.

c!tommy has had almost everything he has ever owned or built either taken from him or destroyed. ranboo even points out that the only two things of tommy's left standing are his house and his hotel, and if i'm honest, his house is dissheveled. it's a labyrinth of terror due only to how many times it's been torn apart. l'manberg being blown up didn't teach anyone anything about anarchy, or about valuing people over possessions. logstedshire being blown up didn't teach tommy to be obedient.

i could honestly ramble for ages about how nuanced tommy's character is and how much depth and complexity there is to his character's process and his relationship with others, but more than that, c!tommy is forgiving. he invites almost everyone who hates him to the grand opening of his hotel - if that isn't an indicator that he just wants friends, and not to be treated like the embodiment of evil, then i don't know what is. he holds grudges, but he doesn't really actively hate anyone, other than c!dream. but, we'll let him. c!dream deserves nothing but to be pummeled into the floor.

tommy doesn't spoonfeed his character nuance, and he doesn't really spell it out for his audience. he'll mention things like trauma and triggers in passing, but a lot of analysis on his motivations has to be picked up from what is said in passing or from what can be seen in between the lines.

i'd be here for hours if i were to talk about everything i love about c!tommy, because honestly he's one of my favourite characters, and there are so many angles you can look at his character from in terms of his age, his relationships with others, his motivations, his personality, his character arcs etc etc. so instead of doing that, i'm going to compile some much more specific analysis posts below to skim through because they highlight so many good aspects of his character.

^^ A thread about the 'yes you are, but so are we' line.

^^ About how shit the VODS comments are.

^^ A comment on how c!Tommy is actually pretty peaceful, and is actually less destructive than most characters on the server.

^^ Possibly the best c!Tommy analysis thread I've ever seen in relation to his trauma, which gives multiple perspectives.

^^ About how c!Tommy is treated as a scapegoat, and how, from an objective standpoint, he is no more violent than any other character, it's just that the little violence that is committed is blown far out of proportion.

^^ Tumblr user flypaw being a bad bitch, as per usual.

^^ c!Tommy being incredibly intelligent, and talking about wanting to rebuild and not destroy. A very underrated monologue of his.

^^ Something short about c!Tommy and c!Wilbur's relationship in Pogtopia.

^^ Less about c!Tommy, more a meta on L'Manberg. Really interesting to think about.

^^ A take on Doomsday.

I'll add some more posts in a reblog in the notes, but if anyone's post(s) is on this and they want me to take it off, let me know and I'll do that for you! Feel free to add your own banger c!Tommy takes or ones that you've found.

[whoneedssexed]

how young is too young for sex? i know you should go by the age of consent but like, if my younger friends are 14/15 and want to have sex with other 14/15 year olds, how should I respond to that? should i advise them to wait? i know so many people that lost their virginities at 14/15 and nobody else seems to think that’s strange, I see people online talking about how they started having sex at 14/15 too and it’s treated like it’s okay. it feels too young to me, but I don’t know if I’m making a big deal out of nothing.

Teenagers shouldn't have sex. That's it.

Minors are not capable of fully understanding the risks, let alone dealing with any possible consequences. Hell, many adults aren't either.

Health experts warn having sex too young not only can lead to physical health issues, but most ESPECIALLY emotional health issues as well.

Puberty is not an excuse for being "mature" enough to have sex - biologically or otherwise. Teen pregnancy is dangerous and difficult, and can lead to social problems and educational deficits, on top of the physical and emotional toll. There is a saying that goes, "Babies shouldn't be having babies". It is especially rough on anyone who can get pregnant.

Teenagers are not adults. They are not sexually mature. They are not emotionally mature. They are not experienced in anything in life, they've not even hit 1/4 of their life expectancy.

It doesn't matter what the age of consent is, because frankly low ages of consent are just excuses for adults to sleep with kids.

It is a harsh reality but it is the truth. This is a problem, this is a major worldwide issue that health organizations in every country are trying to solve and stop.

If it's not enough to tell them they are not mature enough to be doing this, then tell them about that fact: about how *actual health experts* do not want this to be happening, that their foremost idea is that it shouldn't be happening. Or even, explain the reality of sex to them.

Pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion. STIs. Obliterate any myths in their minds about how these happen and can be prevented. Homelessness. Dropping out of school. Financial struggles. Propensity for abuse. Propensity for FUTURE abuse. The way their children would grow up. The fact their parents can not be expected to be the parents FOR them, that it is 100% THEIR responsibility and nobody else's. The horror of the foster care and adoption systems. The anguish of aging out. The physical trauma that comes with pregnancy, childbirth, and STIs at a young age. The list goes on.

There are SO many things one has to comprehend in FULL EXTENT and realize the VERY real risk of happening, before one can agree to sex. There is a reason why being drunk and/or high means you can't consent. It is a lack of understanding and rationale.

If they insist to go ahead, at least they're informed.

mod BP

[babybabymerrychristmas]

I think for too long the conversation on racism has been dominated by white people because they don't want to see the reality of it being depicted by the oppressed.

For a group of people who are "obsessed" with the "truth," they sure don't want to accept that THEIR perception of the truth is skewed by their abuser tendency to make themselves the victims.

Well, sure we enslaved black people but did you know that OTHER BLACK PEOPLE sold them to us?????????? Okay but have you considered that your definition of slavery was completely different than what the rest of the world considered slavery (chattel slavery versus indentured servitude) and that doesn't excuse your ancestors from making the decision to rape, murder, cannibalize, and just do other unspeakable forms of torture to their slaves. Sure, they bought the damn people against their will but did they have to be so goddamn fucking evil about it?

The reality is in an abusive situation, the abuser ALWAYS has a justification for why their victim deserved to be hit, raped, spit on, pimped out, emotionally terrorize and even murdered. That doesn't mean that their truth is the truth of the situation. In a situation where a person is being harmed, their voice matters the most. Their truth is the reality of the situation. They didn't deserve to be raped or hit for baking the chicken wrong, no matter how much the abuser swears they did.

The same principle applies to racism. The white narrative on racism means nothing, the white opinion on black rage means nothing because you can't comprehend the psychological damage you are inflicting onto a black person, even if you're only the microaggressive type of racist (read: the caring abuser, the "I hit you to beat the gay out of you so you don't burn for eternity" abuser, the "it hurts me more than it hurts you" abuser).

That's why the scene in blank panther where Namor is called a child incapable of love is so powerful, because you are shown the scene in an unforgivable manner ON THE SIDE OF THE OPPRESSED for the first time in a way that makes it clear that there is no acceptable context for the way the white man speaks to a fucking CHILD who is defending his home from the abuse they are inflicting on his people.

There is no justification for the white man to speak to Namor in such a manner, like he's the bad guy in this situation. We are shown the reality of the situation from the side of the abused for the first time and it's uncomfortable to sit in. It should make you angry, it should radicalize you. This is how all marginalized people but especially dark skinned people are treated and have been treated for centuries and centuries. They are constantly portrayed to be the bad guy, the villian, someone who is being in a totally illogical and definitely not completely fucking understandable given the situation because they have to be. Otherwise, where does that leave us? As white people, where does centering the voices of oppressed people lead us?

It leads us scenes like the one in black panther where we have to sit in the discomfort that comes along with shame of speaking like to children, of doing much much worse in actuality. It's such a powerful metaphor for the ways in which we, as white people, are raping and killing black CHILDREN today while still justifying it to ourselves.

Well, they're savages, they're fatherless, they live in high crime neighborhoods and smoke crack and sag their pants and have curly hair and listen to rap music and sell dope to our kids and their daughters are getting knocked up like the skanks they are for welfare money from OUR HARD EARNED MONEY CAN YOU BELIEVE IT so I had to kill him, he was 13 but he was taller than me and bigger than me and darker than me and so I mistook him for a gorilla- sorry, I mean a CRIMINAL and I shot him dead in the street because I was just doing my job, I would have done the same to any white 13 year old kid if I thought they were a threat but we all know that is just subtext that ignores how the reason why 13 year old black kids are often perceived to be threats is because of their height and build but we never question WHY black kids are generally taller and bigger than white kids are (hint: it rhymes with smeeding smaves) and we ignore the history of us locking up black people for breathing wrong and then wondering why kids are growing up fatherless in crime ridden neighborhoods like we didn't make their daddies felons and banish them to a life of crime- made it legal to discriminate against them, making housing and employment impossible and wonder why they steal to live.

This post is getting off the rails but yeah, I'd like more movies like wakanda forever please. I want just black directors from now on.

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

Due to overwhelming popular demand (literally one person), I will now elaborate! The screenshots made this really long, so it's going under the cut.

I know I said 'not all that nice' in the original post, but I think a better word for what I read in Klavier would be that he's 'unfeeling' or 'callous', and I believe that largely comes from my initial impression of him. Many people cite the "This is the first time I've ever felt this way with a man" line as one of his most impactful early scenes, but, honestly, it didn't do much for me. Instead, the first time I properly took notice of Klavier was when he says this in Wocky's trial:

The first time I read that, I went, "Oh. He's demented."

And maybe that's a bit harsh, right? We don't know much about Wocky, but he is part of the mafia and under suspicion of murder here. Maybe Klavier's malicious glee at his soon-to-be untimely demise is warranted or excusable (though I would argue that it still takes a certain kind of cruelty to laugh right in the person's face). But that's the thing. This moment isn't a one-off instance but, rather, indicative of Klavier's oddly flippant attitude regarding death and other people throughout the game.

His rant in Turnabout Serenade about his keys, guitar and the dead body is probably what comes to mind quickest in this regard, but I would argue that Klavier's entire approach to court is a pretty obvious tell on this front. I don't think it's controversial to say that Klavier sees his cases as just another performance — what with the "Let's rock!"s and talk about everyone else "sharing his stage" — but he seems to treat the people involved like they're performers, too. There's a certain callousness that comes with his rockstar gimmick, which extends to his treatment of witnesses and suspects. Wocky is one thing, but Vera?

Like, the girl collapsed in front of you and is now knocking on death's door, Klavier; could you drop the showman-speak for one minute?

Maybe it's because Machi is a child, but I feel like this coldness of his comes across most clearly in Serenade. See, Klavier has a reputation for being the most straightlaced and honourable of the prosecutors, and I agree with that assessment! (I think. I don't remember what Blackquill is like, but for now, I agree.) His willingness to work with the defence is respectable and his dedication to the truth undeniable... but I think that only extends to truths he can see himself.

An interesting thing about Klavier is that he's never really behind Apollo in comprehending the truth of their trials, and he pursues it doggedly whenever he scents it. However, in the time before he realises what's actually unfolded, he pursues the truth he's determined with that same unbending zeal. He needs to understand what's happening — to be in control of the narrative at all times — to function at his usual pace. At the end of Serenade's first day of investigation, Klavier implies that Machi has been arrested because the powers that be required a swift arrest, but by the time the trial starts, he's 100% committed to sending that 14-year-old to the gallows. And he's not above using somewhat underhanded tactics to do it either.

There's a sort of ruthless edge to Klavier's treatment of not just Machi, but almost everyone involved in this case. He insinuates that Apollo might be lying about his witness testimony, knows why Lamiroir "saw nothing" yet chose to keep silent and have her brought out onto the witness stand to discredit her,

implies that Ema is the least useful detective on the force then embarrasses her on the stand by having her take the fall for the misunderstanding over Machi's eyesight,

straight up lies about not speaking Borginian to keep Machi from testifying, although he was translating fluently for Lamiroir just minutes prior

and even has his own updated autopsy report moment:

And are these all technically above board tactics to get to the truth? Sure (unclear about the lying, which he also does in the Misham case). But they're still mean-spirited, and his entire demeanour speaks of him just... not caring whom he hurts in his crusade for the truth. The feelings and reputations he damages on the way don't matter because they don't aid him in his goal. Finding the truth isn't about justice for victims or protecting the people caught in the crossfire to him. He wants the truth because... it's the truth. In that sense, he's a lot like og trilogy Edgeworth.

Something else Serenade makes clear is that this brusqueness towards people isn't exclusive to acquaintances and strangers; Klavier treats his loved ones with equal impassiveness. When Daryan crops up as a suspect proper later in the trial and Klavier is prepared for it, he ploughs forwards with that same unyielding efficiency and careless air. The few times he does lose his composure, it's largely due to the revelation of his own unwitting role in the crime. And when it's at last proven beyond a shadow of doubt that it was Daryan, his friend, his partner, the first detective he ever worked with, who tried to set him alight and killed someone, all Klavier has to say is,

... A cool, clean cut. No unsettled feelings, no messy loose threads. Just the hard truth and the calm acceptance of it.

It's the same with Kristoph later on — honestly, I'd argue it's even colder there. With Daryan, he had time to process the possibility and prepare for it. With Kristoph, it happens abruptly in court, and I'm not even sure that Klavier wholly believed Kristoph's original murder charges. There's a line right when he begins helping Apollo against his brother, where he says, "Honestly, I wanted to believe you", and I think the Shadi Smith charge is what he was referring to then. Even so, he puts it aside (much like Daryan, the few times he loses his composure are when he realises how he's been manipulated) and continues with his usual showy efficiency:

It ends, interestingly, harsher than it did with Daryan:

And there's something impressive about that, isn't there? That ability to come to terms with yourself and deal with your emotions so succinctly and conclusively. But isn't it also vaguely terrifying? It's murder on both counts here, so maybe it's a bit hyperbolic to say this, but it almost comes across like there are no second chances with Klavier. Like he sees other people, like himself, as being "simple", without room for greyness or capacity for meaningful change. People are fundamentally good until they do an inexcusable act, and then they're unforgivable and he's better off without them.

There's the argument to be made that Klavier's actually much more affected by these events than he lets on and this is just him masking his emotions to be professional, and I totally agree that that could be it, but I also don't think it fully is? I don't see Klavier as being one for masks, to be honest. I believe him when he says he tries to live simply — even the above examples I've given of him being unkind aren't parts of him he tries to hide; he's rather open about being apathetic, hence why I wouldn't call him manipulative. Like he says, he prefers to "keep things civil" because it helps him find the truth, and he's not particularly secretive about his friendliness being anything deeper than that. So, rather than him 'masking' his true emotions, I'd say it's more akin to him shoving those complicated feelings into a box, stashing it somewhere deep inside himself and refusing to ever examine it to the point where it doesn't affect his life in any obvious or even conscious way.

The one moment we know Klavier was truly conflicted about in his life (the forged diary page) he dealt with by, essentially, running away from. He left the court behind, threw himself into his band and only returned to it when it was forced into his lap, which relates back to how I think he only purses the truth relentlessly when he can see it clearly. He didn't look deeper into that diary page because it would have affected his simple relationship with Kristoph. We kind of see him do the same thing with the Gavinners, actually. Prior to Serenade, he's extremely proud of his band and brings up their achievements often. But after Daryan's arrest, he disbands the Gavinners and starts saying things like their lyrics comprised "ridiculous flights of fancy". There's a decisive effort to distance himself from that debacle, and I think he treats the people in his life much the same way.

There are also less significant moments that point to him not quite caring about other people's situations and his need for control — like when he glares at Ema for interrupting the Misham trial proceedings, though she did so to help them get to the truth; and when he sends Apollo tickets at 20% off though he's the millionaire rockstar and Apollo's the one living paycheck to paycheck — and one that sticks out is his case with Phoenix.

When Klavier warns him against using the page, and when he mocks him for the fraudulent evidence later, he says Phoenix has "embarrassed" himself. Not that Phoenix has made a decision that will ruin his reputation and leave him potentially without a means to support himself, just that he's "embarrassed himself". And I think that's adds another element to his unsympathetic treatment of people.

Klavier is sometimes just... a rich asshole HAHA I don't think he sees how certain hardships can push people to do awful things or really understands what desperation is like. When he's confronted with the darkness behind his cases and the nuanced circumstances that led to the people involved doing what they did, he treats them as amusing diversions, another element of the greater show that is the trial. And when you see how he reacts to complications in his own life, you kind of see why. He would never be driven to act in such a way because he doesn't allow those events to affect him. Whenever something goes wrong for him — really wrong, not just minor inconveniences he can moan about — he just... cuts the problem out. Keeps things neat and simple and moves forwards to a place where everything is, once again, within his control.

And, you know, maybe I'm just reading too much into moments that aren't meant to be taken particularly seriously — they do all fall under his self-absorbed rockstar gimmick, after all, but I don't know. I look at these moments in relation to one another, and I'm not sure he's as simple as he'd like himself to be.

wait, no. i think my ACTUAL hottest aa take is that i don't think klavier is all that nice

[stormblessed95]

Different anon but no that doesn't excuse how Jikookers have become. There are clearly hostile and or dumb asks that you all get for sure but there are clearly ones that are naive or ignorant about a topic and mean no harm. There's no excuse to just be nasty with someone because they're saying something you don't agree with. Not just you but I'm seeing it on almost every Jikook blog. And the new hypocrisy sweeping across Jikook blogs is driving me nuts. Every excuse in the book is being made or ignored when it's clear that Jimin and Jungkook are not as close as they once were. It's been obvious for months and this NY trip sealed the deal but yet it's all being ignored and brushed off. Let's just call a spade a spade and call it a day. Yet by me saying that I'm going to be ignored or accused of being an anti or insecure. Some of us can just accept that it is what it is instead of holding on to something that appears to just not be true. Can I be wrong? Absolutely but Jikook supporters are either making excuses and talking from both sides of their mouths or just straight up ignoring all the signs from all the way back to thisbpast Spring. Yet if anyone brings it up, hostility and defensiveness is unleashed which is so unnecessary because at the end of the day, we're all speculating about a relationship that has nothing to do with us. Talking about the possibility of them being a romantic couple was interesting but somewhere along the way, Jikookers started believing their opinions are facts and because it's fact to them then nobody else is allowed to suggest any other opinion or else you're treated like you're dumb or never had a relationship or ignorant. When did Jikookers become like that other ship?

It's like anon wanted to give an example of what I was talking about 😁 this is victimization and this is rude.

Anon, if this is what you think... Why are you here? Why are you following a jikook blogs? No one is forcing you to be here. No one is forcing you to believe they are a couple. You Think they broke up? Fantastic, good for you. No one is stopping you from believing it. Is the need to send in anonymous asks to blogs some need to make everyone else think like you do? I'm not forcing anyone to agree with me here, you can't force everyone to agree with you either. I'm not following blogs for people who believe other ships are romantically involved because I don't agree with them. I'm also not trying to make them change their mind. The only thing I'll in regards to other ships is correct moments that are false, edited or lied about. Which i would do the same to anyone who tried to edit or mistranslate jikook moments. You are correct, it's not our relationship. So why so invested in sending in anon asks to convince people they broke up? As for this time in New York is what convinced you they are finished... well i completely disagree. None of this looked like a broken up couple to me trying to maintain a cordial working relationship and friendship after years of dating.... I still see emotional connections and dependency through this trip in what content we saw....

And no, I'm not actually interested in you coming back to explain to me WHY you think this way in another ask. I'm sure I have heard it it before. I won't post another anon as over this. If you want to come out of anonymity and have a POLITE conversation with me about it, by all means, feel free. But if the gaslighting and victimization continues in that conversation, I'll probably just block you. Just to be straight forward. I can agree to disagree just fine, but this isn't it. Feel free to think they have broken up, no one is stopping you.

As for you saying when did jikookers become like "those other shippers"... we all know you mean taekookers. And that is so far from the truth, I don't even know what to say to that. Jikookers, at least the ones I associate with and the biggest ones I've seen out there only focus on REAL moments and REAL translations and things that ACTUALLY happen and truly seem to care more for them just be happy than anything else. It's not about proving anything, but enjoying what we do see. And that is not what taekookers are like even a little bit. I had a friend actually compile a list covering this exact same topic on Twitter earlier today that I'll share with you here too:

So no anon. We are not even close to the same. Please just go ahead and unfollow me if you haven't already. If my posts, or my attitude or the fact that I do still believe Jikook are fine bothers you, you are free to walk away at anytime. You are free to your own thoughts and opinions, as am I.

I hope you have a good day. Goodbye 💜

[dragynkeep]

"she fucking said it in the video."

Hm. Interesting. It's almost as if....

Actions speak louder than words.

Hey Other Anon, let's play out a hypothetical: let's imagine there's a person who's making a video promoting a brand of cigarettes in exchange for money, but in the video, they say "by the way I don't condone smoking."

Or if somebody's robbing a bank but then they say "now before this goes any farther, I gotta admit I don't believe in robbing banks."

Or even if somebody is doing something completely innocent like, idk, attending a party. But while they're at the party, they tell you "Of course, I don't approve of parties."

When somebody says something that contradicts what they are doing, that's called "hypocricy." You mighta heard of it.

You acknowledge that Arryn Zech was intentionally promoting a dangerous "weight loss" tea that preys upon suffering young women and contributes to a viciously unhealthy culture, and that she knew that it was wrong at the time (both because she was actually recovering from being preyed upon by that exact culture at the time AND because she specifically claimed to not believe in what she was promoting in order to cover her own ass from having to face the music) but she did it ANYWAY in exchange for money. That's what you're admitting to.

But since she said the words "oh btw I don't approve of this dangerous thing that I am deliberately selling to you," you refuse to admit that she shouldn't have done it.

I see that Anon 100% subscribes to the RWBY narrative of "whatever the *Protagonist* says is automatically the truth, and if it contradicts what you see on the screen, it must be your eyes that are lying."

One might argue that it's actually kind of weird, how much these stans treat Arryn Zech like some kind of fictional heroine who can do no wrong and whose only flaw is that she cares too much and is just too good for this cruel world. One might even call it, dare I say it, "parasocial," but here we are I guess.

absolutely all of this. arryn doesn't get to hide behind her mental illness or her "telling people that she doesn't support tummy teas" when she is doing exactly that, photoshopping her pictures & getting fillers while not telling her fans. these are all things a ton of influencers are getting called out for, not just arryn. lindsey in the 100 fandom also got called out for selling weight loss gummies so this isn't a targeted attack against her; the very first instances of this came from rwby fans who had eating disorders & were disappointed in her. now it is being used to show a very glaring hypocrisy in her behaviour & the fact that she lies as blatantly as she breathes puts everything she says into question; & this doesn't even address her other lies. the fact that she defaulted to blaming fans of her ex when the call was coming from her own fans shows a lot about her character.

nothing is her fault, & the types of fans that obsessively flood the inboxes, replies & dms of those calling her out like this weirdo has been consistently for a week +, do nothing but enable that harmful mentality she has. she hasn't worked on any of her bad behaviour; she just gives a myriad of excuses.

it wasn't really cheating, miles said it was okay, just ignore that he only said that after she cheated on him & he's a biphobic fetishistic incel.

she didn't really say multiple ableist things, she was just quoting the office. ignore the entire context around that quote & the fact that it was never just a one time thing & that she concocted a whole story of abuse just to cover the fact she was being called out for being ableist to her mentally ill ex who she praised to the high heavens while with him & shit talking her last ex. almost like this is a pattern.

& so many other examples. this is absolutely a parasocial relationship between her & her most deranged fans, just like the parasocial relationship between rooster teeth & their fans that means no one can criticize the show or even look at it wrong for fear of death threats. no one can criticize arryn's bad behaviour without being told they're "biphobic, ableist, abuse apologist" whatever & ever lmao. ignore the fact that she's all of that & more.

[ladyleonster]

“ I don't know you very well. ” It's a genuine admission, perhaps a shameful one given their relationship as mother and son, but it is one that he cannot deny and has failed to deny for some time. There are many people who tell him about Ethlyn, but it is never quite a full picture.

With the exception of Selfina and Sara's anecdotes, the image of Ethlyn they leave behind for him is more a footnote than a woman. She is always there in tandem with her husband in those stories, and whilst one may call it a song of love, it leaves Leif in the dark. It tells him more of the man his father was than it ever even hints at his mother's character.

Even the famed story of her pearl tiara says nothing of how she felt about it. Did she like it? Does she keep it with her still now? It was never found within Leonster Palace once he returned. Did it sink into the sands of Aed?

He hasn't seen her wear it since they've met, but then again, there's little time they've spent together too. Perhaps if he had spent more time, he would get the chance to see it, but even then, it's still a gift from his father. To look for it is to search for him, and to instead give her anything like it is to act as if he could replace him.

He cannot overwrite the past nor can he rely on it. All he can rely on is what little he knows now, what he's learned from his own two eyes.

“ But you should be able to find a use for this. Even if you can't, you can sell it. I don't know if it'll get you much though. ”

And so he hands her a pair of riding gloves. There's no frills to it, in neither the gloves themselves nor the packaging, but he's not the type of prince who gives dreamy gifts to princesses. He presents them as they are, presents himself as he is, to the woman he knows so far as she is too.

To others, she is Quan's wife, Leonster's princess, Chalphy's daughter… a noblewoman in all parts. But to Leif, she is a woman who worries for him, who goes on missions, and will ride into battle if need be.

Every good rider needs something for their hands, he reasons. He knows that from his own callouses, from seeing them on Finn's and Nanna's hands too…

“ Using them as a spare works. Or giving them to someone else. You never know what another person needs or what will turn them towards you, after all. ”

That ought to be a truth then for Ethlyn too, or any other rider she might meet later in her life. If she continues to live, she will continue to meet others. That is the idea, anyway.

For now, Leif treats her as living, because even if the stories say she ought to be nothing more than a ghost, what she shows up to him now, as she is, is someone very real, someone with a beating heart, and someone who still has life left to live.

She doesn't really know him either. He's not very good at talking about himself but maybe she isn't either. She could make excuses for them. It isn't like there is some sort of manual for bonding with your child when they're only a handful of years younger than you are. No one would blame them for how strange their relationship is.

She blames herself. She knows the blame lies solely on her shoulders.

He continues and holds out a pair of riding gloves. They're plain, simple, practical. They aren't the fine, kid leather pair with Leonster's coat of arms embroidered in silk thread that Quan had given her once. They aren't carefully designed to match her wardrobe. She could probably walk into any shop in the village and find something similar.

But that hardly matters. Ethlyn wastes no time in trying them on and smiles as she flexes her hands inside them. These gloves are a gift from her son. They might be simple to someone who might happen to watch the scene unfold, but she knows what they really are. Her son's love and her son's protection.

He keeps rambling. She can tell he's nervous. He worries she won't like them. She smiles and sets her now gloved hands on each of his shoulders. "Leif, hush, they're perfect. I love them. You said you don't know me that well but i can tell that you do. Better than you think, at least. If you're not terribly busy today, maybe you would join me for a ride? I can't wait to try them out!"